Shutter devices are known to be arranged between the front grille and the radiator of a vehicle. Said shutter devices control the passage of air from the front grille to the radiator, which is responsible for dissipating the heat from the engine of a vehicle according to the cooling needs of said engine.
Shutter devices allow reducing vehicle fuel consumption by optimizing the aerodynamics of the vehicle when the cooling needs of the engine allow it.
Shutter devices are known to comprise a frame and a plurality of flaps coupled in a pivoting manner to said frame and positioned so as to obtain the airflow required for cooling the radiator of the engine. These shutter devices also comprise an actuator and a transmission part for transmitting the movement of the actuator to the flaps.
In addition, shutter devices are known to allow the sequential opening of different flap groups. Being able to open one flap group while another flap group remains closed is advantageous in some situations. For example, when the engine is turned off it may be of interest to keep some flaps closed to keep the engine hot, but it may be of interest to open some of them so that the engine does not overheat.
Shutter devices are known to allow the sequential opening of different flap groups using one actuator for each flap group, such that the opening of said groups can be controlled independently.
Shutter devices are also known to allow the sequential opening of different flap groups with a single actuator. For example, patent document DE102011055394A1 discloses a shutter device comprising a plurality of flaps and an actuator coupled to a wheel. The lower flap is coupled to said wheel by means of a first lever whereas the rest of the flaps are coupled to said wheel by means of a second lever. The wheel comprises a first guiding groove in which an end of the first lever is arranged and a second guiding groove in which an end of the second lever is arranged. Since said grooves follow different paths, the movement transmitted by the levers to their respective flaps is different, and a sequential opening is therefore achieved.